When the car breaks down, Jack's mother leaves him in charge of his two younger sisters and heads out to get help. But she never returns. After her body is found several days later, Jack's father tries to cope, but can't. He disappears, leaving Jack in charge again. Desperate to keep the authorities from finding out they're on their own, Jack takes to burglary to support his family and becomes quite adept at it. But the police are trying to track him down and suddenly a search for a thief turns into a hunt for the killer of Jack's mother. I liked this book a lot. I liked the characters, I liked the unique story. So often it seems like when a particular storyline becomes a bestseller, everybody starts writing the same story. This book has suspense, humor and heart. It made me want to read more of Bauer's work.